Survival
by MadMax17
Summary: Found in the underground, Violet (OC) adjusts to life in a shattering world quickly being overrun by the titans. Comrades are hard to trust, life is hard to live: will she be able to aid in humanity's struggle against the Titans?
1. Chapter 1

Wind whistled in my ear, ruffling my hair to it streamed in the air behind me, bright silver flowing through a dark world. A smile rested itself on my face, and I giggled as I heard the two men following me stumble and roll on buildings, fools using 3D Maneuver gear to little effect.

The sound of the gear was loud, and I laughed as I rolled through the air, mocking them.

"Oh, come on," I shout back. "It shouldn't be this hard to get a little girl."

I laugh and land on a stone roof, watching them slowly get closer and closer before taking off again. I hear them shout obscenities at me, and all it does it make me giggle. This was the most fun I ever got down there, and it was usually a good show for the people on the streets from what I've heard.

Suddenly, a man rammed into me, throwing me against a building roughly. I grunted as I begin tumbling down the wall trying desperately to get my gear working well enough to keep me from hitting the ground. I clenched my hands and was barely able to pull up, hearing the grinding sound of my gear on the cement as I lifted myself back into the air. Gritting my teeth, I glanced back and saw more men flying after me.

 _Damn, that seems like a lot for a loaf of damn bread!  
_ Green capes billowed behind them and I nearly fell out of the air. They called the Scout Regiment?

I groan, this was turning out to be more effort than it seemed worth. Sighing heavily, I turn sharply down a narrow alley, hoping to shake them off my trail. They turned with me, still following as quickly as before. More began closing in on my sides and I clenched my hands around my grips.

Pointing my gear toward the bottom of a building I land swiftly and begin running, attempting to go somewhere they couldn't travel with their gear. The soldiers are still whizzing overhead and I turn and sprint down another alley, before realizing this one has only the one opening.

"Shit," I whisper and turn to run out when I see the soldiers standing ominously. I swallow thickly.

"Hello, there miss," a blonde man said to me, a blank look on his face. I make a move to use my gear again with hopes of being able to rush out over them when I'm suddenly grabbed and shoved against a wall, my face smashed against the concrete.

I grunt and try to wiggle out of the hold to no avail, and my hands are swiftly and surely tied together.

"Stop struggling," a monotone voice says in my ear. "Just listen to what he has to say."

I grit my teeth and look over my shoulder at him. He's shorter than me by a few inches with a dark undercut. His eyes are shrewd, an onyx color not much different from the stone down here. I growl and he glares at me.

"Now then, Violet is it?" the blonde man says, interrupting my staring contest. I turn back to him, shocked. "Surprised I know your name?"

I struggle against the shorter man's hold, trying to get away even more than before. "Now, now, there's no reason to be scared."

I scoff. "As if I'd be scared of you," I say. "Let me go, I haven't done anything wrong."

He walks up to me and grabs me by the hair on the top of my head. "I beg to differ, young lady. However, I"m not here to turn you in, so long as you do what I say."

I growl and spit at him. He flinches as it hits his face and he wipes it off with the sleeve of his coat.

He sighs before grabbing me by my hair again and throwing me down, placing his foot on the middle of my back to keep me in place. I growl up at him.

Crouching down, he looks me in the eyes. "How do you feel about leaving here?"

I stop struggling and glare up at him. "I don't enjoy jokes, asshole."

He chuckles darkly. "This is no joke, I can get you on the surface. On one condition." He lifts his leg off my back and lifts me high enough to look at him directly. "What do you say?"

"What is your condition?" I say roughly.

"Join the Scout Regiment," he says simply.

"Untie me and you've got a deal," I say quickly. Even he seems surprised at my answer. I grin, "you think I wouldn't kill to get out of here?"

He chuckles and moves behind me using a blade to get the rope off of me. "I didn't expect you to be so cooperative." I rub my wrists and push my long hair out of my face. "We've got a deal?"

I bow slightly. "As long as I breathe, use me as you see fit," I say, jokingly.

"Cheeky," the short man says, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I like it, she has character," the blonde man says before turning to me again. "I am Commander Erwin Smith," he says. "This is Captain Levi Ackerman."

I hold my hands out to the two of them. Erwin takes one of them swiftly, but Levi seems to refuse.

I place my hands on my hips and look around at the other men in green capes. "So, when are we leaving?" I ask.

"Now," Levi says crossly. "We leave now." He walks swiftly past me, bumping into my shoulder as he does. I follow his quickly, I couldn't wait to leave this place either.

Stepping out in the sunshine was certainly an experience, no small sliver of light through rocks could quite compare to this piercing brightness. I had to cover my eyes and blink several times before I could look around properly. Buildings rose from the ground and people filled a shopping area, perhaps it was because of the sunlight but the area seemed cheerier than the underground.

"Come along then," Erwin says, placing his hand on my back to lead me away from the opening underground.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"We are headed to a Scout Regiment base close to Wall Rose," he says while we walk. "There are lots of people there that will be able to help you adjust. And we can get your training underway." I nod stiffly. He smiles kindly, "Don't worry, you'll be treated well there."

I don't answer and instead walk beside him, feeling the eyes of many soldiers on me.

"Oh, is she the girl you went to grab?" a woman named Hanji asked Erwin. I silently sip the cup of tea that had been handed to me by a lovely young lady named Petra. She's been sitting next to me since I walked in, asking me if I wanted anything to eat or needed any water and if I wanted someone to talk to she was here. "Yes," Erwin says.

She leans down and looks me in the eyes, seriously. "So what was it like living underground?"

I furrow my brows and am about to answer when I'm interrupted. "Glasses, would you leave her alone?"

"Oh, come on Levi!" she says, happily. "I'm curious and you'll never tell me."

He glares at her.

"It was dark," I say suddenly. They both turn to me quickly and I look down at my cup. "There wasn't much light, thats all thats incredible about it."

"So then, you aren't used to the sunlight?" she asks.

I shake my head. She laughs a bit, "that's interesting, I wonder if you are more sensitive to the sun's rays."

"Glasses, drop it," Levi says stiffly.

She laughs a bit and looks back at me. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen I believe," I say quietly.

"Wow, that seems so young," she says. "Younger than Levi was whe-"

"Hanji," Levi says, his voice low and warning.

"FIne, fine. I cant believe youre so defensive of her," she says, ruffling his hair teasingly. He growls at her.

"I'll cut you down I swear," he says.

"Yeah, yeah," she laughs while walking out patting Erwin on the shoulder before she exits the room.

"So," Petra says awkwardly, turning to me. "What are your plans since you're up here?"

"I am to join the Scout Regiment," I say. "It was the agreement made to get me above ground."

"No, no. Like, your first plans for you as a person."

I'm confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, most people who join do something to identify themselves as a new person. A lot of people here used to be criminals. And they like to have something to show themselves they're a different person now," she says, smiling. "So, what do you plan to do?"

I stare at the ground for a second, before reaching up to the locks on my head. "I want to get my haircut," I say. "And I want a tattoo."

She smiles and claps her hands happily. "That's great! I could help you cut your hair if you'd like? There is an awful lot of it, it would be pretty hard on your own."

I'm surprised by how kind she seems, this was not something I had expected coming up to the surface. "I...suppose so. Thank you."

"And Mike could do your tattoo," she says. "He's done some for a few others as well, he's pretty good at it."

I nod. "Yes, thank you."

"Come on then," she says, grabbing my arm and dragging me from the room happily.

"Wh-where are we going?" I stutter.

"To cut your hair, silly."

We walk through a couple wide halls into a small room with a couple chairs and a long table. A large window let light shine on brightly, and she sits me down in a dark brown chair.

"So, how do you want it cut?" she asks me happily, grabbing a pair of scissors from a drawer.

I grab the locks and spread them out over my shoulders. "I want the sides shaved down," I say. "Leave the middle long."

"Ok," she says happily and moved behind me. I swallow thickly, feeling the cold metal of the scissors on my neck sent a shiver of anxiety through me. I forced myself to breathe through my nose calmly.

By the end of the haircut, a man whom Petra referred to as Mike had walked in and Petra told him about me. "So, you want a tattoo?" he asks, sitting in a chair across from me as Petra finished off the sides of my head.

"Yes please," I say.

"Well, what do you want?"

I look at the ground and grip my hands. "I want the Scout Regiment wings of freedom," I whisper.

He puts in finger on his chin and thinks for a second. "You want the actual symbol?"

I nod my head.

He grins. "Well, I think I can do that."

I smile widely. "Thank you so much," I say and bow a bit.

Petra giggles a bit behind me. "Nah, you're fine. Wipe that hair off and we'll get to work on you," he smiles happily and leaves the room. I stand and shake my head out, using a strip of leather to tie back the remaining silver locks.

Hours later, the sun has set and Mike is putting his things away by candlelight. "It's a good thing I was already almost done by sundown. Come on," he says motioning to a mirror Petra brought in before she left to speak with Erwin. "Tell me what you think."

I maneuver the hand mirror so I can look at my back, where the large symbol covered the skin, blue and white coloring my pale flesh.

"It's perfect," I say, smiling for the first time since I walked out of the ground. I start giggling a bit. "Thank you so much," I say and wrap my arms around Mike's neck. He seems a bit taken aback before awkwardly hugging me back.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it."

He waves a quick good bye as he walks out of the room, leaving me in silence. I use the mirror to look at my wings from all angles possible, and smile at the way they move with my body, the way the colors dance in the candlelight.

Heyo guys, Max here! This is the first chapter of my SNK fan fiction Survival, I'd love to hear what you guys think! If you have any suggestion, let me know please!


	2. Chapter 2

"Sixty-seven...sixty-eight...sixty-nine...seventy," I counted off pushing myself off the ground and lowering myself back down. Standing up, I wiped sweat off my brow with a light towel.

I stretch, hearing my back crack in a few places and walk out of the small gym and through the dimly lit halls. Sleeping had been difficult during the few months I'd been here and I instead spent my nights training as best I knew how. Nobody had seen me do so, which I preferred. Most of the people here were kind, but so talkative, and while I adjusted I wanted to do so in solitude.

Stepping out into the cool night air I take a deep breath and begin running along a trail that took me in and around a small wooded area that hid the castle we stayed in. The only sounds out here were my heavy breathing and footsteps, along with the natural sounds of a forest, crickets and nocturnal beasts.

Stopping by a small creek, I knelt down and cupped my hands around some of the cold water. After splashing my face I took a large drink and breathed slowly, dizziness making the world fuzzy.

I hadn't been eating nearly as much as I should be since coming here, sleep would be a smart idea too. I sigh at myself.

Rising up, I jog back through the woods toward the stone building with the sound of chirping songbirds accompanying me. By the time I reached the door, the sky was being painted different shades of pink and lavender. Looking around, I made sure no one would see me and began slowly making my way back through the halls to my room.

"Violet," I hear a rough voice say, and I jump.

"Yes?" I say, looking around.

Levi walks up from behind me, a scowl on his face. "What are you doing?" He looks me up and down. My workout clothes consisted of a pair of shorts and a cut off tank, ending just above my stomach, and I instantly regretted not wearing something more appropriate.

"I was training," I say, keeping my gaze down.

He's silent for a few moments, the lack of noise making me anxious. I shift my gaze around and see him scowling up at me.

"I apologize. I will make sure not to inconvenience you ne-"

"Shut it," he says.

I clench my teeth and breathe deeply to calm myself. _He's your commanding officer, just put up with it._

"Erwin wants to speak with you. Clean yourself up first," he says and walks away.

I sigh and run my hands through my hair. He'd been pestering me since I showed up, always looking down at me. I chuckle.

 _Well, looking up I guess._

I look down at myself and poke my stomach, watching the softness press in easily. I glare at it before walking back to my room to get dressed and cleaned.

"The Survey Corps will be heading outside of the walls soon," Erwin says when I step into his office.

I nod. "I understand, I'll make sure to prep-"

"You will not be going."

My heart speeds up. "E-excuse me, but I believe I'm capable of-"

"This is not a matter for debate," he says, flipping through some paperwork on his desk. "I have another job for you."

I breathe deeply. "And what may that be, Erwin?"

He looks at me, annoyance obvious on his face. "The recruits have finished training and will begin guarding the walls soon. I'd like you to make sure everything runs smoothly," he says.

"I don't understand why I'm needed specifically, surely anyone can-"

"Yes, anyone can but you're going to."

"But Erw-"

"Violet," he says, a warning tone in his voice. "This is not up for debate."

I clench my hands into fists and turn away from him. Stepping out of his office I closed the door behind me much more quietly than I thought I was capable of at the moment.

Walking down the hall a bit, just far enough from Erwin's office that I was sure he wouldn't hear, I turn toward the stone wall and throw one of my clenched fists at it.

Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I kneel and grip my hand hard and inspect where blood welled up from my knuckles. I set my forehead against the cool wall and breathed deeply.

"What do you think you're doing?" someone behind me asks.

Looking up I see Levi looking down at me, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. I looked away from him and stood to walk away.

"I asked you a question," he said, following me.

"I heard you," I respond, my voice dripping with venom.

He grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me against the wall. "So I expect an answer," he said, glaring up at me.

I lean in close and whisper, "fuck off."

He grabs my injured hand, squeezing hard. I clench my teeth to keep myself from shouting out in pain.

"How did this happen? Angry you don't get to go out and see the big, bad titans?"

He's mocking me and before I can think I ram my forehead into his hard. A bad move. He steps back and we both stoop down, grabbing our heads. He growls at me. "What the hell?" I turn to try to walk away again but he grabs my arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" The frustration from the past few months has been boiling inside me and I was damn sure ready to let it out, and I was ready to direct all this frustration at him. "I've been nothing but compliant with your orders."

"Violet-"

"What have I done to bother you so much that you can't just leave me alone?" I shout. "What is it that I can do to fucking please you?"

He glares at me before looking at the floor. "You're from the underground," he whispers softly.

"What's your point?" I shout.

He doesn't say anything. He instead decides he wants to try to just walk away, but I'm not having any of that.

Grabbing his shoulder I push him against the wall, glaring down at him. "Why do you care where I came from?" I can see how pissed off he is, he turns his head to avoid my gaze and instead glares at the ground. "Tell me!"

"I'm from the same damn place," he shouts up at me. My anger dissipates and I step back. I cross my arms over my chest. "Only I had brought a few people with me." I look at him questioningly. "Not here," he says and walks away.

I walk behind him through a few hallways and into what I assume is his office, or perhaps his bedroom? Or both? The door softly closes behind us and he steps toward a window, leaning against the wall, staring into the night.

"Who had you brought with you, Levi?" I say.

He chuckles darkly. "You never call me Captain," he says. "In the five months you've been here, you never called me 'captain' or 'sir'. Why is that?"

I frown and cross my arms. "Why does that matter?"

"Aren't you intimidated by me?" he asks.

I chuckle. "Sometimes, it'd be impossible not to be. But I also don't care," I say.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't much care about titles, who you are depends on your actions, not what others call you," I say. "You've proven yourself to be a good man not just a squad leader or captain."

He's silent. The tension in the air is nearly palpable.

"I'm not," he says, still refusing to look at me. "You don't know me."

"I don't know who you used to be," I say, correcting him. "And I don't care who you used to be."

"You don't know who I am now either," he says.

"I'd like to," I say, looking directly at him waiting to see his eyes. "I'd like to know who you are as a person."

"No you don't," he whispers.

"Oh come on Levi that's bullshit," I say and he looks at me surprised, with such a broken look on his face. I walk up to him and place my hand on top of his head gently. "You've been an ass to me," I say chuckling and he glares up at me. "But I know you've had your reasons, and I understand. Yes, I'm pissed about not being able to go on your expedition in a few days, but only because I won't get to see the big, bad Levi in action." I smile down at him.

He looks annoyed and I chuckle. I remove my hand from his head and rub my knuckles absently as I look around the room. Bookshelves covered a full wall, filled to the brim and a small fireplace rested inside a wall. His desk was filled to the brim with paperwork that needed to get done and another door leads into what I assume is a bedroom.

He reaches for my hand and inspects it silently. He pushes down on my knuckles and I resist the urge to pull my hand back, opting instead to grit my teeth. "They don't seem to be broken, but this should get cleaned or it could get infected."

"It's not a big deal, it's just a scrape," I say, trying to pull my hand back.

"It's going to get cleaned Violet," he says looking at me sternly, his grip tightening.

I nod and move to pull my hand back again, but he pulls me over to a chair and makes me sit down. Reaching into his desk he pulls out a small box and opens it.

With surprisingly gentle hands he cleans my knuckles and wraps bandages around my hand. "Who did you bring with you? From the underground," I ask, quietly.

He's silent as he packs up the medical kit and puts it away. "Would you like a cup of tea?" he asks, and is already on his way to grab a kettle and a couple of cups.

"Levi," I say. "If you don't want to-"

"A couple of my friends," he says, while lighting the fire and hanging the kettle full of water. I assume it's something he's doing to keep himself calm, something familiar to hide from the past, something I understand far too well. "One of them used to call me 'big bro'." He chuckles a bit. "She was a loud kid. And Farlan? I'd known him for a long time, practically a brother." He puts leaves in the cups before pouring hot water in them. He hands me my cup and sips his own quietly, holding the cup by the rim.

"What happened to them?" I ask.

He blows on the tea, sending steam flying toward me. "We got sent outside of the walls before they were ready," he says, softly. "I didn't want them to go, but they insisted."

I'm silent, but expectant. I don't want to push him, but I want to hear what happened.

"We had planned to kill Erwin," he whispers. My eyes widen. "That was one of the reasons they wanted to come, so I had backup. But things didn't work out." He sighs and takes another sip. "An abnormal killed them," he whispered. "While I was running off to kill Erwin."

I clench my hands around the cup in my hand. The warmth seeps into my palms. "I'm sorry."

"That's not why I'm telling you this," he says, glaring at me. "I'm telling you this because they weren't ready to be out there. And I know for a fact you aren't ready."

I stare up at him and I get angry. "Maybe I'm not ready because I'm training myself," I counter. "Because the only person here who seems to give a damn on if I improve is me."

He looks at me surprised. "Nobody has begun training you yet?"

"No! Ive been trying to workout alone."

"I'll train you," he says suddenly.

"Wh-what?"

"I will start training you," he says while looking me in the eyes. "But you'll have to be ready to work with my training regimen. It'll be pretty intense for you."

I jump up and smile widely. "Alright," I say happily. "I'll do my best."

He looks at me strangely before smiling softly. "You're such a brat," he chuckles. "Drink your tea."

I look down at the cup and realize the liquid's going cold. I chug down the lukewarm beverage.

"Thank you Levi," I say. "For all of this."

He sighs. "Get to bed. You'll need rest for tomorrow."

"Right," I say and begin walking over to the door. Before stepping out I turn my head a bit. "Hey, Levi?"

"Hm?"

"You're still an ass."

I hear him chuckle as I exit his office and walk through the dark halls to my room.

Hey lovelies Max here! So I'm sorry its been so long since uploading to Life with a Tail! I will be hopefully updated that story next!

Anyways...tell me what you think of the story! I'd love a review :)


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